LuMi Dining

Love Lode pastries? LuMi’s fine-dining fusion act is where it all began.

November 11, 2024

1 / 7Hanging pendant lights illuminate the dining room.supplied

2 / 7Beetroot rosette filled with oyster braudade and lime.Supplied

3 / 7Bonito and fermented cucumber with a ring of feta.Supplied

4 / 7Evergreen with sorrel, lemon basil, mint, shiso and parsley.Supplied

5 / 7Burnt wheat, yukari and yuzu tart.Anna Kucera

7 / 7A glowing, glass-walled lightbox perched on the water.Christopher Pearce/Fairfax Media via Getty Images

17.5/20

Contemporary$$$$

What kind of magic is this? Snack after snack after snack, each playful in its composition, each epically layered with flavour.

Koshihikari rice and stracciatella wrapped in nori topped with uni. An ink-black riff on Peranakan pie tee, featuring a crisp nori shell filled with kingfish tartare, oyster emulsion and caviar. Scampi toast. A wagyu potato cake. A tuna tartlet crowned with crisped chicken skin. Gee whiz.

After the wave breaks, take a beat. Peer out at the lights on the water. Admire the flow of Federico Zanellato’s chefs in the kitchen. And order something from Michela Boncagni’s charming drinks list, an offer that reflects LuMi’s fascination with Italy by way of Japan, with a few detours along the way.

It’s there again in bonito crudo with kiwi and wasabi leaf, in bursting agnolotti prefaced by a plate of soy-glazed marron. All polish, all detail, forever enthralling, LuMi’s voice is as strong as ever. Just listen.